Apomys

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Apomys
Apomys gracilirostris.jpg
Large Mindoro forest mouse (Apomys gracilirostris)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Subfamily: Murinae
Tribe: Hydromyini
Genus: Apomys
Mearns, 1905
Type species
Apomys hylocetes
Mearns, 1905
Species

Apomys abrae
Apomys aurorae
Apomys banahao
Apomys brownorum
Apomys camiguinensis
Apomys datae
Apomys gracilirostris
Apomys hylocetes
Apomys insignis
Apomys iridensis
Apomys littoralis
Apomys lubangensis
Apomys magnus
Apomys microdon
Apomys minganensis
Apomys musculus
Apomys sacobianus
Apomys sierrae
Apomys zambalensis

Contents

Apomys, commonly known as earthworm mice, is a genus of rodent endemic to the Philippines. Mice belonging to this genus are generally called Philippine forest mice and can be found on most islands of the Philippines except in Palawan, the Sulu Archipelago, and the Batanes and Babuyan group of islands.

Apomys mice weigh from 18g to 128g. The tail is longer or nearly equal the length of the head and body. The soft and thick fur of these mice is darker on the back while the front fur is paler, often nearly white with a moderate orange yellow wash. The hind feet are moderately long and narrow, have six plantar pads, and have digits 2–4 notably longer than digit 5 and the hallux. All species have two pairs of inguinal mammae. [1]

Species

Nineteen species are known in two subgenera: [2] [3] [1] [4]

Several species also awaits formal description.

The species generally inhabit narrow ecological niches with small endemic ranges.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murinae</span> Subfamily of rodents

The Old World rats and mice, part of the subfamily Murinae in the family Muridae, comprise at least 519 species. Members of this subfamily are called murines. In terms of species richness, this subfamily is larger than all mammal families except the Cricetidae and Muridae, and is larger than all mammal orders except the bats and the remainder of the rodents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cloud rat</span> Tribe of mammals

The cloud rats or cloudrunners are a tribe (Phloeomyini) of arboreal and nocturnal herbivorous rodents endemic to the cloud forests of the Philippines. They belong to the family Muridae and include five genera: Batomys, Carpomys, Crateromys, Musseromys, and Phloeomys. They range in size from as large as 50 cm (20 in) to as small as 74 mm (2.9 in). Cloud rats are threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting. Several species are endangered or critically endangered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camiguin forest mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Camiguin forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to the island of Camiguin in the southern Philippines. It has large ears and eyes, a long tail and rusty-brown fur, and it feeds mostly on insects and seeds. This description is based on mice captured during a biological survey conducted in 1994 and 1995 high on the steep slopes of one of the island's volcanoes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large Mindoro forest mouse</span> Species of rodent

The large Mindoro forest mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae, from the genus Apomys. It is found only in the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is a large mouse with large feet, a long tail and an elongated snout which is morphologically unique within its genus. It is covered in soft fur which is mostly dark brown in colour. Its closest relative is thought to be the Luzon montane forest mouse, based on genetic and morphological similarities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katanglad shrew-mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Katanglad shrew-mouse, also known as the Kitanglad shrew-mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is known only from one specimen taken at 2250 m on Mount Kitanglad, Bukidnon Province, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalinga shrew mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Kalinga shrew mouse is a rodent of the genus Soricomys found in the northern province of Kalinga, island of Luzon, in the northern Philippines.

Musseromys is a genus of rodent, in the family Muridae, endemic to the Philippines. Four species are known, all from Luzon:

Velizar Simeonovski is a wildlife artist and zoologist from Bulgaria who is living and working in the United States. His main interest is the paleoart, the scientific illustration and artistic reconstruction of extinct species and the visualization of primeval landscapes. Simeonovski uses computer programs to create his drawings. He is married and has two sons. Since 2003, he works for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.

Danilo S. Balete, also known as Danny Balete, was a Filipino zoologist and biologist. His is known for his work on the Philippines' endemic mammal species. He pursued the question of what determines species diversity. The research by Balete and his team overturned previously held notions that diversity decreased in mountainous regions, showing that harsh environments could generate, rather than suppress, species diversity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luzon giant forest mouse</span> Mammal found in the Philippines

The Luzon giant forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to Luzon, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luzon Aurora forest mouse</span> Mammal found in the Philippines

The Luzon Aurora forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to Aurora in Luzon, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Banahaw forest mouse</span> Mammal found in the Philippines

The Mount Banahaw forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to the Mount Banahaw area in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Tapulao forest mouse</span> Mammal found in the Philippines

The Mount Tapulao forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to the Mount Tapulao area in the Philippines. It is named after the American zoologist Barbara Elaine Russell Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Madre forest mouse</span> Mammal found in the Philippines

The Sierra Madre forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to the Sierra Madre Range of eastern Luzon, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luzon Zambales forest mouse</span> Species of mammal

The Luzon Zambales forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to Zambales in Luzon, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Mingan forest mouse</span> Mammal found in the Philippines

The Mount Mingan forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to Mount Mingan in Luzon, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Irid forest mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Mount Irid forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to Mount Irid in Luzon, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lubang forest mouse</span> Species of rodent

The Lubang forest mouse is a forest mouse endemic to Lubang Island in the Philippines.

Co's shrew mouse is a rodent of the genus Soricomys found on the island of Luzon, in the northern Philippines.

References

  1. 1 2 Heaney, L; Balete D; Rickart E; Alviola P; Duya M; Duya M; Veluz M; VandeVrede L; Steppan S (2011). "Seven New Species and a New Subgenus of Forest Mice (Rodentia: Muridae: Apomys) from Luzon Island". Fieldiana Life and Earth Sciences. doi:10.3158/2158-5520-2.1.1. S2CID   86544405.
  2. Musser, G. G.; Carleton, M. D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  3. Heaney, L.R.; Tabaranza B.R. Jr. (2006). "A new species of forest mouse, genus Apomys (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae), from Camiguin Island, Philippines". Fieldiana Zoology. 106: 14–27. doi:10.3158/0015-0754(2006)106[14:ansofm]2.0.co;2. S2CID   85757707.
  4. Heaney, L.R.; Balete, D.S.; Veluz, M.J.; Steppan, S.J.; Esseltyn, J.A.; Pfeiffer, A.W.; Rickart, E.A. (2014). "Two new species of Philippine forest mice (Apomys, Muridae, Rodentia) from Lubang and Luzon Islands, with a redescription of Apomys sacobianus Johnson, 1962". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 126 (4): 395–413. doi:10.2988/0006-324X-126.4.395. S2CID   49347286.